Origins of Judaism

Judaism Religion developed 3,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent Monotheistic (belief in one God) Shaped other religions like Christianity and Islam Shaped modern ideas about law and human rights

Early Israelites and Judaism Judaism: Religion involving teachings and practices of Israelites. Beliefs: Monotheistic God created each person in God’s image Act based on ethics, ideas about right and wrong Source: Torah First five books of Hebrew Bible

Important People in Judaism: Abraham 1700 B.C.E Lived in Ur, Mesopotamia God told Abraham to leave Ur and travel to Canaan, on the Mediterranean Sea Covenant – binding agreement – between God and Abraham Canaan would become the land of Abraham’s descendants. Canaan known as Promised Land

Israelites – Twelve Tribes Patriarchs - Forefathers of Jewish people Abraham, his son Isaac, and Isaac’s son Jacob Jacob had twelve sons Each son was the ancestor of a tribe Jacob was renamed Israel Twelve Tribes became known as Israelites Their stories are written down in Genesis, the first book of the Torah

Famine in Canaan Famine: shortage of food Jacob’s family moves to Egypt (great supplies of grain) after famine in Canaan Pharaoh enslaved and mistreated Israelites Book of Exodus 2 nd Book in Torah Describes the hardships of Israelites in Egypt and their escape.

Moses Israelite adopted by pharaoh’s family God appeared to him and asked him to rescue people from slavery Pharaoh refused to let people out of Egypt God punished Egyptians Sickness Insects Death of Firstborn son

Moses and Israelites Leave Egypt Moses led Israelites to the Sinai Peninsula Exodus: escape of Israelites from Egypt Passover Celebration to commemorate God’s freeing them from slavery.

The Desert Experience Israelites lived in the desert for 40 years God provided instructions and ways of worship Faced harsh conditions and battled other peoples Questioned leadership of Moses and God Finally believed that obeying God’s commands would provide everything they needed

The Ten Commandments Commandment – order to do something God gave Moses 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai Most important laws in the Torah Jewish people believe they have a covenant with God

Return to the Promised Land Joshua took leadership role after Moses died Israelites entered Canaan once more They conquered Jericho Then conquered other kingdoms in Canaan Tribes settled in different areas of Canaan

Jewish Scriptures – Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) Divided into three sections The Torah The Prophets The Writings

The Torah (Law of Moses) God’s creation of the world Noah’s ark and the great flood Life of Abraham Covenant Stories of the Israelites Journey from Egypt to Promised Land

The Prophets Books by or about Jewish prophets Prophets: person believed to be chosen by God as a messenger to bring truth to people Preachers, poets, etc. Told people how to relate and follow God

The Writings Great Hebrew literature Psalms: poems or songs as prayers to God Proverbs: wise sayings Books about heroes Chronicles: history of early Jewish people

Rabbis - Religious Teachers Recorded oral laws Discussed how laws should be interpreted Wrote commentaries on the laws Talmud: text from A.D. 600 Collection of teachings and commentaries about Hebrew Bible and Jewish Law

Key Teachings of Judaism Ethical Monotheism Observance of Law Love for Others Weekly day of rest (Sabbath) Commitment to study and prayer Connection to the Land of Israel Righteousness Individual Responsibility to God Justice

Judaism Now Today, the United States, with approximately six million Jews, has the largest Jewish population in the world.

Jewish Diaspora Communities living outside of Israel Live far away from Jerusalem, Judaism’s holy city. Gather to pray and discuss scriptures in synagogues (Jewish meeting place) 14 million Jewish people worldwide Large majority in Israel and the United States